Electric toaster



June 2, 1942. J. R. GoMERsALL. 2,285,156

ELECTRIC vTOASTER Filed sept. 25, 1941 s sheets-sheet 1 57%.@ L y Z5 y ATToFmEYk l 'June 2, 1942. J, R. GoMEMRsALL v 2,285,156

ELECTRIC TOASTER Filed Sept. 25, 1941 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENToR. 83 (/OH/V R. GOMERSAL;

ATTORNEY Patented June 2, 19,42

Ennormc' 'roas'rm John R. Gomersall, Elgin, lll., -assignor to Me- Graw Electric Company, Elgin, lll., a corporation o1' Delaware Application September 25, 1941, Serial No. 412,216

Claims.

My invention relates to electric cooking devices and particularly to electric toasters.

An object of my `invention is to provide a toaster for toasting either a slice of bread of ordinary thickness or a slice of relatively thin bread as may be desired by the user.

Another object o1' `my invention is to provide an electric toaster embodying means to control the temperatureof the toasting chamber when a thin slice of bread positioned in a holder is being toasted.

Another object of my invention is to provide an electric toaster embodying means to surface toast a slice of` bread by radiant high temperature heat or to toast a thin slice o1 bread -throughout its entire thickness by conducted heat of lower temperature.

Other objects of my invention will either be 'apparent from a description of one form of device embodying my invention or will be, pointed out in the course of such description and` set `forth more particularly in the appended laims.

In the drawings,

taken on the line II--II of Fig. 1 showing more particularly a bread slice guard-rest operative when a standard slice of bread is being toasted,

Fig. 12 is a sectional view similar to that of Fig. 2 except that the slice holder oi Fig. 8 has been inserted in the toasting chamber and the parts taken on the line Il-M of Fig. 12 showing the Figure l is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through a toaster embodying my invention taken on the line I-l of Fig. 2, the parts bein shown in non-toasting positions,

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross sectional view on the line 2-2-of Fig.- 1, the parts being shown in toastlng position,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing the positional certain parts 'during a standard toasting operation,

Fig. 4 is a side elevationalview of a bread slice holder,

Fig. 5 is a sectional view therethrough taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 4 showing the holder as enclosing a slice of bread of normal or standard thickness ready to slice the same into two thinner pieces ofbread,

Fig. 6 is a view showing thebread slice holder opened for removal of the two thinner slices of bread,

Fig.` '1 isa fragmentary sectional view showing the position ofthe holder after removal of the bread slices,

Fig. 8 is a sectional view showing the bread holderin position for clamping a thin slice oi bread prior to inserting the holder and theA slice of bread in the toaster, o

Fig. 9 is `a'dagram o1 "the electrical circuits of .the toaster,

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on the line Ill-I0 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 11 is a vertical fragmentary sectional viewl are shown in toasting positions,

Fig. 13 is a vertical fragmentarysectional view on the line l3-l3 of Fig. 12,

. Fig. 14 is avertical fragmentary sectional View positions of the thermal heater control switch effective when a thinslice of bread is being toasted, and,

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary view similar to that of Fig. 3 except the parts are shown `in the positions occupied by them as shown in Fig. 14.

I have elected to show my invention as embodied in a non-automatic two-slice toaster 2| butI I desire'it to be understood that my invention is not limited thereto but may also be embodied in a single-slice toaster or a plural-slice toaster adapted to toast more than two slices of bread simultaneously.

The'toaster 2l includes a metal bottomplate 23 which may be of inverted pan shape and may have associated therewith a crumb tray 25, both of these parts being secured together in any suitable or desired manner.4 I provide also an outer casing comprising metal side walls 21 and a central portion 29 which may be caused to nter't with each otherand be operatively associated with members 23 and 25 in anysuitable or desired manner now well known in the art.

' I prefer to provide a pair of vertically extending planar heating elements 3| for each slice of bread adapted to be toasted simultaneously in .such a toaster and I haveshown the vertically extending relatively thin sheets of electric insulating material, such as mica, and it is to be l i understood that a resistor strand 33 is supported bythe mica sheets, all in a manner well known in the art. Any suitable or desired means may be provided to hold the lower edges of the mica sheets ln proper operative position on bottom member 23 and the upper edges of these sheets 35 may be held in properly spaced operative positions by a top frame plate 31 and return-bent ends of guard or guide wires 39, the upper end portions o'f which intert with the top frame plate 31. I provide also a rear intermediate wall 4I and a front intermediate wall 43 which may be considered to cooperate with either the planar heating elements or the side walls of theouter casingto provide a plurality of toasting chamwith to permit of energizing the heating elements.

I provide bread carriers 53, one of each of these carriers beingV located between cooperating v pairs of toast'heating elements 3| and these carriershave their front end portions connected to My improved toaster is also designed to inake the so-calle'd "Melba toast using relatively thin gether by a crosswis'e-extending bar or member 55,'as will be noted more particularly in Fig. 10 of the drawings. Member 55 is of generally plate Ashape and has laterally extending lower and upper projecting portions 51 and 59 having apertures therein to permit of -their being mounted on a vertical standard 6I whereby it is possible to move the b'read carriers vertically relatively to the toast heating elements. Fig. 1 of the drawings shows the bread carriers in their upper or non-toasting position and Figs. 2 and 12 show them in their lower or toasting positions. Means for normally yieldingly biasing the bread carriers into their upper non-toasting position may comprise a coil spring 63 one end of which is connected to a bracket 65 which is adapted also to hold the upper end of standard 6|, the lower end of coil 63 being connected to any suitable part of member 55.` An actuating knob 61 is secured to a projection 69 which constitutes a substantially horizontally extendingarm of a bell crank lever 'Ihe arm 69 extends through a slot in the 1 I. front wall of the outer casing to permit an operator topress downwardly on the knob 61 to move the 'bread carriers into their lowermost or toasting position. The bell crank lever 1I is pivotally mounted on a projection 13 `constituting a part of or being secured to member 55 and arm 1| has a hook end 11 thereon which is adapted to engage a detent 19 secured to the front intermediate wall 43 at aheight thereon to hold the carriers in their lower toasting position when hook 11 engages under detent 19. In order to terminate a.v

toasting operation the operator pushes upwardly on knob 61 to cause turning movement of belll crank lever 1I on its pivotal support with attendant disengagement of portion 11 from'detent 19, the coil spring 63 then causing quick upward movement'of the carriers -into non-toasting position.

Member 55 has secured thereto a bracket 8| suitably electrically insulated therefrom this bracket supporting a contact bridging member 83 adapted to engage a pair of contact `members 85 insulatedly supported on the top portion of member 23, the contact bridging member 83 and the contacts 85 constituting a main heater control switch which, as is evident, is adapted to :be closed when the operator moves the bread carriers 'downwardly into toasting position and is adapted to be opened when the carriers are released, as above described, and moved upwardly slices of bread and to heat treat the slice or slices of bread until the entire thickness thereof has'been uniformly toasted or browned. I have found it necessary when doing this latter kind of toast: ing to use a lower temperature heat and, when .it is desired to prevent curving of the relatively thin slice of bread, I have found it necessary to use a vbreadfslice holder comprising a pair of metal plates eachone of which engages a side surface of the slice of bread and also, to regulate or control the temperature ofthe heat reaching the bread. Further, I yhave found it necessary to subject the thin slice of bread to a toasting operation of greater length than is necessary or desirable-When merely surface toasting anormal slice of bread.

In order to be able to control the temperature of the toasting chamber, I providev a .normally inoperative thermal heater control switch which includes a resilient contact arm 89 supported as by aV bracket 9| secured to the under side of member 23. a relatively rigid arm 93 being also supported by bracket 9| and having a portion thereof connected to one of the contact members 83 hereinbefore described. Normally the contact arm 89 is biased away from the relatively rigid arm 93, as is shown more particularly in Fig. 3 of the drawings. I provide further a second contact arm 95 also supported from the bracket 9| and, as shown, these two contact arms are insulatedly supported by bracket 9| and are also insulated from one another.

I. provide a bimetal bar 91 Awhich extends vertically of and in one of the toasting chambers and .has its upper end supported by a bracket 99 as shown more particularly in Fig. 1 of the draw- The lower movable end of bar 91 has mounted thereon an adjusting screw IOI which is adapted to engage a lug |03 of electric insulating material, which lu'g is secured to the outer end of contact arm 95. It is to be here noted that contact arm 95 is biased away from contact arm 89 but is normally held in engagement therewith as through contact members on the two arms 95 and 89 by the bimetal bar 91 when the bimetal bar is at a low temperature or at least is below a given temperature. Bimetal bar 91 will move or flex in a clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 1 of n the drawings when it is heated and member IOI will move out of engagement with member |03 at a certain temperature with simultaneous disengager'nent of ,the two contact members on the arms 89 and 95 whereby the thermal heater control switch is moved to heater deenergizing position.

It is, therefore, evident that when a slice of bread of normal thickness is being toasted or when a thin slice of bread is being toasted, bi-

metal bar 91 will move vout of engagement with contact arm 89 by means oi' a small coil spring |09 (see Fig. 2). Bell crank lever |05 is provided with a lower or right-hand arm I II hav- This means includes a bell v ||3 so that contact arm 95 `under its inherentv bias, may move to switch-opening position when permitted to do so by the flexing bimetal bar 91:

These positions are shown particularly in Figs.

' 14 and 15 of the drawings..

As has been hereinbefore stated, I have found it desirable when making so-called Melba toast to cut a slice of bread of normal thickness into two slices of bread each of substantially half the normal thickness and further, I have found it desirable to remove the crust fromthe four edges of the slices of bread and Fig. 5

shows a slice ||5 of the normal thickness with the crusts removed and placed in a holder ||1..

ready to be cut into two thinner slices.

This holder includes two flat relatively thin sheet metal plates ||9 and |2| whichare pivotally connected with each other as-by two short bars |23 secured to the respective lower ends of side portions of -the plates ||9 and |2|. It

= will be noted that the plates ||9 and |2| are of dished shape having laterally extending ilanges on each of their four edges.

Each of the plates ||9 and |2| is provided with embossed projections |25 which extend toward eachother when the two plates are located in the positions shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, vto thereby cause the spurs or projections |25 to engage the outer vsurfaces o f the slice of bread J| I5 to hold the same `while being cut in two by a thin knife' and it'will be noted that the two l plates ||9 and |2| are adapted to be supported with the lateral flange portions spaced apart from each other bw substantially thev thickness of the bread slicing knife. In Aorder to handle conveniently the holder ||1 I may provide a, pair of handles |21 made of a suitable heat-insulating or moulded composition mounted on Aarms |29 which are pivotally mounted on projections |3| at that edge of the plates away from their pivotal connection and on the dished side "thereof,

Fig. s of thedrawmg's shows the holder u1 after it has been opened out to permit of withdrawing or removing the two thin slices of bread |33 from the holder. When this has been done the two plates ||9 and |2| are ther so that they may receive therebetween a slice 1330i bread, asis shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings and it will be noted that now the spurs or projections |25 extend away from each other since they are now located near or on the outer surfaces of plates ||9 and |2I.

I provide a headed lug H9 and |2| whichare adapted to be engaged by laterally-bent end portions |31 of the pivotallymounted arms |29 to" permit of holding the two plates ||9 and |2| in vsubstantially parallel-extending positions relatively to each other 'to thereby tightlyl hold the slice of bread |33 and prevent its curling'or curving during the toasting operation to which it is now ready to be subjected.'

I may here-point out thatI provide rollers turned still fur- |35 on each of the plates |39, one on-each of the lower. end `po'rtions'of the plates ||9 and |2|, .which arev adaptedto be located relatively close. together as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, to constitute a relatively simple and effective means to prevent excessive yor undesired downward movement 'of the bread slicing knife when' the bread holder partsv are in the positions shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings.

As was hereinbefore stated, the toaster embodying my invention and disclosed herein, is adapted to toast slices of bread 81 of normal thickness and I prefer to provide a bread-stopping member |4| shown more particularly in Fig. 11 of the drawings as comprising a thin sheet metal plate having portions secured by short machine screws |43 to member 23 and hav- ,ing two upwardly extending arms and so constructed and mounted as to support at least one bottom corner of oneslice of bread in atwo.-

slice toaster.

Bell crank lever |05 is providedwith a substantially vertically extending projection |45 which is of such length as. to extend normally slightly above the bread carrier 53 when the same is in its lowermost toasting position but is not engaged by a slice of bread 81 when normal toasting of aslice of bread of normal thickness is to be effected.

However, when a slice of bread |33 in the holderl I1 is to be toasted, the holder ||1, and particularly the short member |23, is adapted to engage the end of projection |45 and cause turning movement of bell crank lever |05 in a-counterclockwise direction whereby the portion of the cam surface on part thereof willbe moved out of switch-locking position so that when permit-ted to open by movement of the heated bimetal bar 91, as hereinbefore described, contact arm 95 will move out of engagement with contact arm 89 when the ,temperature of the toasting chamber has reached a predetermined value.

Since it is desired to thoroughly or totally toast the entire thickness of a thin slice of bread |33 I and since it is necessary to subject such thin slice of bread to lower temperature heat for a greater length of time, the two plates ||9 and |2|, one onk each side of the thin slice of bread |33, are effective to transform the character'of the heat reaching theslice of bread and also to greatly reduce the temperature thereof and I have found a temperature of say from 350 F. to 450 F. with an optimum mean of 400 F. will do very satisfactory toasting -oi a thin slice of bread. The

clamping of the thin slice of bread between two v substantially parallel'extendng plates of metal is effective also to prevent any curling or curving of the thin toasted slices of bread.

I may here point out also that I may blacken the one side of each of the plates H9, this side being that in which the spurs or projections |25 extend so that the blackened surface of the two metal plates will be subject to high temperature radiant heat during the toasting of a thin slice of bread.

The toaster embodying my invention and in-` cluding the bread slice holder ||1 therefore provides means forselectively toasting either a slice of bread of normal thickness with surface toasting only or to thoroughly toast a relatively thin 4curving as happens if the slice of bread is not prevented by proper means from so doing.

- Various modifications of the structure shown in my invention may be made and all modications clearly coming 'within'the scope of the ap- 4. pende'd claims :are to be considered covered thereby. 'i y I claim as my invention:

1. A dual purpose electric toaster comprising toast heating elements defining a toasting chamber, a thermally-responsive switch for controlling the energization'of the toast heating elements, means normally holding said switch in closed position, a bread slice holder insertible into the toaster and effective to move said switch holding means out of its normal position to cause said thermally-responsive switch to operate and limit the maximum temperature o'f the toasting chamber during a toasting operation.

2. An electric toaster comprising a toasting chamber, toast heating elements in said chamber, a switch for said toast heating elements normally biased into open position, a lever arm normally yieldingly biased into position to hold said switch closeda thermal element subject to toasting chamber temperature effective when cold to hold said switch closed, a bread slice holder comprising a pairof ilat metal plates pivotally connected to each other insertible into the toasting chamber into bread toasting position and eil'ective when in said bread toasting position to move said lever arm out of switch-holding position and to cause said thermal element to actuate said switch to maintain a given average .temperature in said toasting chamber during a toasting operation.

' 3. An electric toaster comprising a toastingk chamber, toast heating elements in said chamber, a switch for said toast heating elements normally biased into open position, a lever arm normally yieldingly biased into position to hold said switch closed, a thermal element subject tol Y toasting chamber temperature effective when cold to hold said switch closed, abread carrier vertically movable relative to said toast heating elements into an upper non-toasting position and a lower toasting position and normally yieldingly normal thickness and a slice of bread of apprelever arm and move it out of switch-holding position to cause said thermal element to control said switch to maintain a given average temperature in said toasting chamber during a toasting operation.

4. A dual purpose electric toaster comprising a toasting chamber, electric heaters in said chamber, a switch vfor saidv heaters normally biased into open position, means normally yieldingly biased into position to hold said switch closed, a thermostat subject to toasting chamber temperature adapted when cold to hold said -switch closed, a bread carrier vertically movable relative to said heaters into upper non-toasting position and lower toasting position and normally yieldingly biased into non-toasting position and selectively adapted to support a slice of bread of ciably lesser thickness, a bread slice holder comprising a pair of parallel-extending flat metal plates for holding a slice of lesser thickness and prevent it from curving during toasting, said holder being eiective when said carrier and holder are in their lower toasting position to engage said means normally holding said switch closed and move it out of switch-engaging position to cause said thermostat to control said switch to maintain a given average temperature in said toasting chamber during a toasting operation.

5. A dual purpose electric toaster comprising aA toasting chamber, electric heaters in said chamber, a bread carrier vertically movable relav i tively to said heaters into an upper non-toasting position and a lower toasting position and normally yieldingly biased into its non-toasting position and adapted to support selectively a slice biased .into non-toasting position, a bread slice y holder comprising a pair of at'metal plates pivotally connected to each other adapted to be placed on said carrier, means to move said 4car-- l rier and said bread slice holder into the lower toasting position, said bread slice holder being adapted when in toastingposition to engage said 

